Recognizing Fake Payment Messages

A fake payment message is designed to make you act before you verify. It may look like an Interac e-Transfer notice, bank alert, marketplace receipt, courier confirmation or business-account upgrade. The message itself is not money.

The Competition Bureau’s sale-of-merchandise scam guidance warns sellers about fraudulent payments, overpayments and requests to send money back. Learn the patterns before listing an item.

The fake transfer notice

The buyer claims payment is complete and sends an email, text or screenshot. The message may copy colours and logos, but the link opens a fake sign-in page or the deposit never appears.

Safe response: close the message and open your financial institution’s official app or type its known address yourself. Check the account and transaction details independently. Never sign in through the buyer’s link.

The account-upgrade fee

A message says your personal account cannot receive a business payment until you pay an upgrade, insurance or release fee. Sometimes it claims the buyer has already paid extra and you must reimburse them.

Legitimate buyers do not need you to send gift cards, cryptocurrency or a separate transfer to unlock their payment. Never pay money to receive money.

The overpayment and refund

The buyer “accidentally” sends too much, then urgently asks you to return the difference. The original payment may be fake, unauthorized or later reversed, while your refund is real.

Do not forward or refund money based on a message. Contact your financial institution through its published number and let it handle suspicious transactions.

The QR code or courier link

A scammer may claim a courier will collect the item and ask you to scan a code to receive funds, confirm delivery or buy insurance. The page may steal card details, banking credentials or a verification code.

A QR code is simply a link you cannot read at a glance. Do not scan codes sent by strangers to receive marketplace payments.

Warning signs in the message

• The sender address uses a misspelled or unrelated domain.
• The greeting is generic or the amount/item does not match.
• You are told to act immediately or keep the message secret.
• The message requests a password, PIN or one-time verification code.
• A supposed payment includes instructions to ship or release before confirmation.
• The buyer refuses normal questions but repeatedly asks whether you saw the email.
• The link’s destination differs from the visible wording.

Even a convincing message can be fake. Verification through a separate trusted channel matters more than appearance.

A safe seller workflow

Agree on the price and payment method in SellUp chat. At the meeting, inspect any cash carefully or verify electronic payment from your own account. Do not rely on the buyer’s phone. Release the item only after you are satisfied that payment is complete and consistent with your bank’s rules.

For expensive sales, consider meeting at a financial institution. Follow safe local meeting and payment practices and SellUp’s guide to recognizing and avoiding scams.

If you clicked or paid

Act quickly:

1. Contact your financial institution using the number on your card or official website.
2. Change affected passwords from a trusted device and enable multi-factor authentication.
3. Save the complete message, sender address, URL, listing, chat and transaction records.
4. Report the account to SellUp.
5. Contact local police when money, threats or identity theft are involved.
6. Report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Do not continue negotiating with someone who has already attempted to deceive you.

Useful resources

• Competition Bureau: sale of merchandise scams
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: report fraud
• Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: phishing
• Watch a CBC News scam-awareness video
• SellUp marketplace scam checklist